Large caps dragged the market down, with half of the top 30 shares by market value and liquidity falling and only nine advanced.

Tough buys by foreign traders cushioned the market with their net buy value in HCM City’s market reaching VNĐ361 billion ($15.5 million) out of total VNĐ363 billion value, up 18.6 per cent over Friday’s number.

They were net sellers for a fourth session on the HàNội Stock Exchange for a value of VNĐ8.8 billion but net buyers on the Unlisted Public Company Market for nearly VNĐ11 billion.

Shares of the budget airline Vietjet (VJC) topped their buys with net value of VNĐ356.4 billion, far exceeding the Vietnam Electrical Equipment Corp (GEX) with value of just VNĐ16 billion.

VJC was also the biggest gainer among the VN30, rising 1.84 per cent to VNĐ132,800 ($5.70) per share.

On the other end of spectrum, shares of industrial zone developers slumped, of which Vietnam Rubber Industrial Zone and Urban Development (VRG), SonadeziLong Thành (SZL) and Industrial Urban Development JSC No 2 (D2D) plunged by 7 per cent, the daily maximum loss on the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange.